Personal Factors and Consumer Behavior towards Secondhand Clothes in Kenya

Abstract

Over the years, there has been tremendous growth in second hand clothes trade globally, a trend replicated in all African countries. This has been attributed to the global economic crisis, and comparatively low prices for those products in comparison with new garments. However, there is evidence from the existing literature that people from all social classes do purchase second hand clothes. There is also a huge influx of hawkers of secondhand clothes in the streets of all big cities in Kenya, which has contributed to congestion in those cities. The purpose of this paper was to investigate whether personal factors influence consumer behavior towards secondhand clothes in Kenya in terms of amount spent on secondhand clothes and the choice of retailers. This study adopted both descriptive and exploratory research design. The target population of this study was 15,513 respondents from 7 counties with the highest population according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) (2019) population census. The sample size was 384 respondents selected by Krejcie & Morgan (1979) table and formula. Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the selected respondents. The findings revealed that there exists a significant relationship between personal factors and consumer behavior in terms of amount of money spent on secondhand clothes and the probability of choosing open market retailers compared to other form of retailers. The study shall contribute practically to textile manufacturers who shall understand the reasons why consumers are buying secondhand clothes. By understanding the influence of the personal factors on consumer behavior towards secondhand clothes, they will, have to adjust their new clothes marketing strategies accordingly in order to meet customers’ needs. This will increase the level of consumer’s satisfaction and loyalty to new clothes, which is one way to gain competitive advantage in the competitive clothing marketing environment